With the advent of electro-pneumatic braking systems for railroad cars, which include a central processing unit or computer on each car, it becomes possible to employ the computer for other uses.
There is no known system capable of determining certain conditions during the operation of a train that would affect the life of a railroad freight car. For example, a slid-flat wheel caused by a braking malfunctioning produces undesirable vibrations of a car which not only affects wear on other parts of a truck of a car but may also affect the integrity of the contents of the car. During train operation such a slid-flat wheel is not detectable except by an observer in a railroad yard. Similarly, a rail defect can cause undue wear on a truck.
It is also well known that longitudinal impacts through humping caused in a switching yard causes undue wear on draft gear and other parts of a car.
Moreover, it is known that truck hunting occurring during train movement, which can involve violent side-to-side movement of a car or truck, can cause severe wear on various parts of the car including the trucks and the draft gear.